Hair-washer.



PATENTED OCT. 3, 1905.

N. LEIDGBN.

HAIR WASHER.

APPmcATIoN FILED APR. 10, 1905.

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APPLICATION FILED APB..10, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NIOOLAUS LEIDGEN, OF MILWAUKEE, IISOONSIN,` ASSIGNOR rOF ONE- I-IALF TO EDl/VARD H. MUNKWITZ, OF MILVAUKEE, l/VISOONSIN.

HAIR-WASHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1905.

Application filed April 10, 1905. Serial No. 254,668.

To n/ZZ whom, t mfr/,7] concern.-

Be it known that I, NICOLAUS Leinen-N, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in HairlVashers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying' drawings, forming a part thereof.

The main object of this invention is to facilitate cleaning' hair removed from hides in tanneries.

It consists in certain novel features of con.- struction and in the peculiar arrangement and combinations of parts hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like letters designate thc same parts in the several figures.

Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section on the line l I, Fig. 2, of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. Q is a plan View of the same; and Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section thereof on the line 3 3, Fig. 2.

fr designates an oblong vat, which is for convenience preferably sunk below the Hoor of the tannery in which the machine is intended to be used. This vat has a depression b in the bottom at one end, forming a settling spacev or tank below the general level of the bottom of the vat, and in the bottom of this depression is a waste-opening c, which is located near the end of the vat and is provided with a plug or stopper (Z for temporarily closing it. A gate and overiiow board or plate c, standing normally across the vat adjacent to the wasteopening c, is fitted to be moved up and down in vertical guides on the sides of the vat. A perforated plate or screenf is arranged horizontally over the depression b in the vat and is curved upwardly and attached at its outer end to a cross-support g. The main portion of this screen is located at the level of the bottom of the main part of the vat and forms a continuation thereof.

The hair-washing machine constituting thev e, which determines the liquid-level therein.

The vat is provided with an endless conveyer consisting of a -link belt j', running over sprocket-wheels 7c at or near opposite ends of the vat and provided with transverse floats l, which travel on the under side of the conveyer along the bottom of the vat toward and over the screen f, and on the upper side of the conveyer in an opposite direction near the liquidlevel in the vat. To prevent the belt and Heats from sagging on the upper side of the conveyer between the sprocket-wheels, horizontal guides m are attached to the sides of the vat in position to engage with and support the floats Z at the proper level. j

An elevator for removing the cleansed hair from the vat consists of an endless link belt o, running in an inclined position over'sprocketwheels p and provided at intervals with strainer buckets or vanes q,the lower sprocketwheel p being arranged in the vat c adjacent to the sprocket-wheel 7c at the end of the conveyer opposite the overiiow-board e. Theelevator may be driven, as shown in Fig. l, by a link belt fr from a counter-shaft overhead or by any other suitable driving connection, and the conveyer may be driven from the elevator by a link belt s, connecting sprocket-Wheels on the shafts at their adjacent ends, as shown in Fig. 2. The vat c is supplied with water at or near the end opposite its overiow through a hose or pipe t.

v The machine operates as followsz' The vat c being filled with water to the top of the overliow-board e, as shown in Figs. l and 3, and the conveyer and elevator being driven in the direction indicated by arrows on Fig. 1, the hair falling from the unhairing-machine into the chute t' is discharged therefrom at its lower end into the vat c below the level of the liquid therein and between the upper and under sides of the conveyer. By reason of the dirt and foreign matter adhering to the hair as it comes from the unhairing-machine it sinks to the bottom of the vat and is carried by the floats Z on the underside of the conveyer toward and over the 'screen f and in its passage is washed, the dirt for the most part passing through the perforated plate or screen f and settling in the space or tank Z) below it. As the hair is freed from dirt and foreign matter it becomes more buoyant and tends to rise to the surface of the liquid or cleansing solution in the vat, where IOO it is caught by the lioats l on the upper side l adjacent to the liquid-level in the vat, sub

of the conveyer and carried toward the opposite end of the vat away from its overflow, being thoroughly rinsed and cleansed by the counterllow of' f'resh water supplied to the vat through the hose or pipe t. The cleansed hair delivered from the conveyer is taken up by the vancs Q of' the elevator and drained during its ascent, being' discharged at the top of the elevator upon the floor or into a suitable receptacle provided for it. The vat is flushed, and the dirt accumulating in the catch-basin or settling-tank bis removed from time to time by raising the gate c and allowing the water and dirt contained in the tank to liow directly into and drain ofl" through the wasteopening c. To balance the pressure on thc gate e and facilitate opening it, the wasteopening c is temporarily closed by the plug or stopper (Z until the overliow rises in the compartment in which the waste-opening is located t0 the level ofl the water or liquid in the main portion of the vat. The gate can then be easily raised, and the plug or stopper (l being removed the contents of' the vat will obviously run off through the waste-opening'.

`Various changes in the details of construction and in the arrangement of parts of the apparatus may be made without materially affecting its mode of operation and without departing from the spirit and intended scope of' the invention.

I claim# l. In a hair-washer the combination of' a vat having an overflow at one end and a depression in the bottom, a screen over said depression, and an endless conveyer provided with floats which are movable along` the under side off the conveyer over the bottom of the vat toward and over said screen and along the upper side of' the conveyer in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

2. In a hair-washer the combination of a vat having a depression in the bottom at one end, ascreen over said depression, an endless conveyer provided with `floats which are movable on the under side over the bottom toward said screen and on the upper side in the opposite direction, and an elevator arranged to remove the cleansed hair from the end of' the vat opposite said depression7 substantially as de scribed.

3, In a hair-washer the combination of' a vat having a depression and a waste-opening in the bottom at one end, an overfiow-gate adjacent to said opening, and a conveyer provided with transverse floats adapted to travel on the under side toward and over said screen and on the upper side in the opposite direction stantially as described.

4L. In a hai r-washer the combination of' avat having` a depression in the bottom and an overflow at one end, a screen over said depression, an endless conveyer provided with floats which travel on the under side of' the conveyer toward and over said screen and on the upper side in the opposite direction, and an elevator comprising an endless belt dipping at its lower end into said vat adjacent to the end of the conveyer opposite said screen and provided with strainer-buckets, substantially as described.

In a hair-washer the combination ol a vat having a depression and a waste-opening in the bottom at one end, a screen arranged horizontally over said opening at the level of the higher portion of' the bottom, amovablc gate and overflow-plate standing normally across the vat adjacent to said opening, a stopper for closing said waste-opening, and a conveyer provided with transverse floats arranged to travel along the bottom of' the vat toward and over said screen and on the upper side ofI the conveyer in the opposite direction close to the surface ofl the liquid in the vat, substantially as described.

6. In a hair-washer the combination of' a vat having a depression in the bottom and an overflow at one end and a feeding-chute at one side arranged to introduce hair into thc vat below the liquid-level therein, a horizontal screen arranged over said depression and f'orming a continuation of the higher part of' the bottom of the vat, and an endless conveyer provided with floats adapted to travel on the under side ot' the conveyer along the bottom of the vat toward and over said screen and on the upper side in the opposite direction close to the liquid-level in the vat, substantially as described.

7. In a hair-washer the combination with a vat having a horizontally-disposed screen, a settling-space below the screen and an overflow at one end above the screen, of' an endless conveyer provided with floats which are arranged to travel on the under side of' the conveyer over said screen, and on the upper side of the conveyer away from said overflow adfacent to the level thereof', substantially as described.

In witness whereofl I hereto aiiiX my signature in presence of' two witnesses.

. NIGOLAUS LEIDGEN.

Witnesses:

(l-ms. L. Goss, BERNARD (l. RoLoFr. 

